Prospective parenting: sexual identity and intercultural trajectories

Abstract

This study explored the impact of sexual identity on attitudes towards parenthood among childless individuals from Portugal and the United Kingdom (UK). Compared to heterosexuals, lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals were less likely to: desire and intend to have children, be concerned about the prospect of childlessness or perceive children as a source of enrichment. They also people anticipated more stigma as parents than did heterosexuals. Compared to UK participants, all Portuguese participants, independently of sexual identity, desired and intended more to have children, were more concerned about childlessness, reported higher levels of parental commitment, and anticipated less stigma and expected more social support as parents. Portuguese lesbian, gay and bisexual participants desired more to have children than did those in the UK. Only in the UK did lesbian, gay and bisexual participants perceive children less as a source of enrichment than did heterosexuals and also anticipate negative costs associated with parenting. We concluded that the intersectional influence of different cultural climates on parenting aspirations should be taken into account in future research alongside sexual identity.

Anticipating Parenthood Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Young Adults Without Children in Portugal: Predictors and Profiles

“…Comparative studies nevertheless have revealed that sexual minority individuals without children anticipate lower levels of emotional benefits of the parent-child bond and enjoyment of children than do their heterosexual peers (Baiocco and Laghi, 2013;Leal et al, 2019b). In the same way, Tate and Patterson (2019b) verified that lesbian women reported that they had fewer favorable experiences with infants and/or children than did heterosexual women.…”

“…Also in Italy, Scandurra et al (2019) verified that support from family, or that of significant people, could act as a buffer against the effect of stigma on parenthood desires and intentions. Leal et al (2019b) found that, irrespective of sexual orientation, individuals without children in Portugal anticipated more social support in parenthood and less stigma if they decided to have children, compared to their counterparts from the United Kingdom. This seemed to apply to heterosexual and to LGB persons equally, with the more familistic culture of Portugal acting as a centripetal force pulling family members together across the generations (Hofstede, 2011;McGoldrick et al, 2015;Steinbach et al, 2016;Tanaka and Johnson, 2016).…”

“…Nevertheless, like other parenting perceptions (e.g., social support), differences in anticipated social and economic costs seem to be moderated by factors such as culture. Thus, Leal et al (2019b) noted more sizeable differences between sexual minority and heterosexual persons without children in the United Kingdom than in Portugal. In the United Kingdom,…”

“…The association between psychological variables and parenthood intentions remains relatively understudied, especially among LGB individuals (Tate et al, 2019). Psychological factors have been conceptualized in different ways, such as motivations for pursuing parenthood (Goldberg et al, 2012), attitudes toward infants, children, and parenthood (Tate and Patterson, 2019b), or perceptions of parenting (Lawson, 2004;Baiocco and Laghi, 2013;Gato et al, 2019;Leal et al, 2019b).…”

“…In fact, given prevailing societal prejudice and discrimination against sexual minority individuals, the interest in the parenthood plans of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals is quite recent. Sexual minority persons face many barriers when they envisage parenthood and that may explain why they express fewer desires, intentions, and expectations of having children than do heterosexual persons (e.g., Patterson and Riskind, 2010;Riskind and Patterson, 2010;Goldberg et al, 2012;Shenkman, 2012;Baiocco and Laghi, 2013;Riskind et al, 2013;Riskind and Tornello, 2017;Simon et al, 2018;Gato et al, 2019;Leal et al, 2019b;Salinas-Quiroz et al, 2019;Tate and Patterson, 2019a,b). Parenthood among bisexual individuals is also relatively understudied.…”